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Despite the prospect of an extended pay freeze,
many nonpostal workers have their "wigs" to keep
them warm, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey
says. So, how do you get a 3 percent raise while
salaries are frozen at 2010 levels?

I have always heard this called a WIGI (within-grade increase). For many long-time feds, this is no longer a factor since they are already at the top step of their grade. I don't know of any place to find how many feds are in this category, but I would guess around 20%. So no increase, no raise for about 20% of feds.

I'm in the 3 year waiting period, so no WIG until next year, and that's if we get them. I don't trust this entire bunch. The one constant in my life is bad timing, I'm always buying or selling or moving at the wrong time.

My three year wait ends the middle of 2013. Unfortunately the WIGI will be wiped out by the expiration of the 2% payroll tax break. Boy wouldn't it be nice if we had some certainty on taxes. Will the 2% reduction in payroll tax be extended? Probably, but the bigger question is should it be? I was still in elementary school when Carter took office, but I'm not surprised his administration tried to end WIGIs. Dems are our friends when they don't control the White House. They tend to have amnesia when they're the occupant. We haven't had a decent raise in how long? Oh yeah, since the GOP had the White House.

Who keeps proposing layoffs and furloughs? Who keeps proposing eliminating entire federal departments and agencies? Oh yeah, the GOP. Rob, you either have a very selective memory or you hate the federal worker (including yourself). Seek help.

Rob appears to believe that past performance is a perfect predictor of future performance, and apparently has never heard of being careful what you wish for. Let's hope that feds don't get that for which he so fervently wishes.

Actually, we should continue to comment about Rob's comments. Otherwise, they will go unchallenged.----yes, Rob, I worry about your allies' proposals. If they are elected, they will implement them. Then G-d help the federal employees and the country. We will truly be in trouble. No, Rob, you go back to your cage.

Having been in top step of my grade for a while now, my high-3 years for retirement calculation purposes is now equivalent to my annual salary. After 34 years of service, no where to go now but down... or out.

I'm in the same boat. Been at Step 10 for 14 years. My take home pay goes down every year. But I've figure out a way to change that. I'm retiring at the end of the year, and then I will get a cost of living increase each year while those still at their desks don't have much prospect of that.

I have been stuck at the GS-13/10 as a Senior Engineer for many years now, so now my salary will be going negative. It is time to call it quits, take my little retirement check and RUN. For the last 15 years, my office has been dictated to outsource every piece of engineering and all we do is stand around and watch the contractor work, read status reports, attend progress meetings, and figure out how to circumvent the FARS to get the "RIGHT" contractor. The contractors bribe the upper management with retirement jobs (yes, its legal), so they make sure we cannot do any of the work. Since I fought to keep my engineering skills sharp and accredited, I am a dying breed in the Govt but what little work I had is going south to contractors to pay back the SuperPACs. Management says they want to change their ways and return to more technical, so they offered me the GS-14 pay grade but the job is just high level management with no real power, so it is business as usual. As an experiment, I started a side line consulting business for non-DOD products and I already have 3 potential customers. With that encouraging news or face more Govt corruption and no voice of reason, I put in my retirement paperwork last month. If everyone left the Govt, how would the contractors get their money? The way the politicians are going, they may have contractors contracting. Better hang on to your wallets when that happens if it has not already.

I have been lucky in that I got a Promotion with a grade increase just before the freeze. This is the first year I won't get more money. However, when they call the WIG automatic, it gets me mad. It is not automatic. I do know people who do not get them. I think of it as a bonus, since the bonuses we get are next to nothing. I think my last bonus was $1,500. My brother in law in the banking industry got almot $50,000. When we start getting real bonuses, then government can talk about getting rid of the WIGs. Until then, I think of the WIG as a reward for a job well done. Could you hear Congress if employees got bonuses of the tens of thousands each year? Like they get in perks!

There will be far more wailing and gnashing of the teeth in the months to come. The Heritage Foundation has released a report stating that federal employees work one month less per year than their private sector counterparts. Soon we will begin to see bills aimed at reducing the sick leave and annual leave we accrue every pay period. I do not know how they gathered their information, and I doubt it is true. Were they comparing the annual leave policies of the government to those of fast food restaurants, department stores, and other industries that hire unskilled labor and may I add notoriously allow employees to only work 32 hours q week so they do not have to provide benefits? I know they did not consider one of New England's largest grocery store chains which ties vacation time to the length of service. An acquaintence of mine currently gets 10 weeks of paid vacation a year from this grocery store chain. They certainly did not consider one of the largest religious non-profit groups in the country, which allows 36 personal days, plus several floating holidays on top of the regular federal holidays. They certainly did not consider private sector upper managers who take clients to lunch, to sporting events and to golf clubs, all in the name of business. I am so tired of the demoralization of federal employees. It sure would be something if federal employees could stage a strike. No airplanes would fly. No social security check for grandma. No national parks for vacationing families. No inspected meat - eat at your own risk. No doctors and nurses to staff the veteran's hospitals. No testing of drugs - use at your own risk. No oversight of banks and insurance companies - deposit and pay premiums at your own risk. No criminal prosecutions of murderers, rapists and child molesters. No prison guards - walk the streets at your own risk. I could go on and on. Trying to score political points by bashing feds is a rotton thing to do. I have had enough.

I've said it once and I've said it again, check the Federal News Radio Bill Tracker (use Google) and you will see and be able to decide for yourself who always proposes the damage to the federal workforce. Vote accordingly (apolitical statement - not engaging in politics).

It is the actual dollar amounts between each step that is the same. Since this dollar amount comes after a higher and higher figure, then the actual percent increase goes down, the higher you are. It is not a 3% increase. Also, consider the fact that those in steps 4 and over must wait 2 or 3 years between WGI's.